A communication network (or simply a “network”) refers to a collection of communicatively coupled devices which interoperate to facilitate communication between various endpoint devices, such as User Equipment devices. The term “User Equipment” (UE) is used herein for clarity to refer to endpoint devices which are configured to communicate with a network either via fixed line connection, or via radios operating according to a predetermined protocol. The UE includes a variety of connected devices including UEs as defined by the 3rd Generation partnership project (3GPP), mobile devices (e.g. wireless handsets) and other connected devices, including Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices (also referred to as Machine Type Communications (MTC) devices). A mobile device need not be mobile itself, but is a device that can communicate with a network which is capable of providing communication services in the same mode whether or not the endpoint device is mobile or stationary. A network may include, for instance, at least one of a radio access portion which interfaces directly with UEs via radio access and a fixed line portion which interfaces directly with UEs via fixed line access, in combination with a backhaul portion which connects different network devices of the network together. The network may further comprise various virtualized components as will become readily apparent herein. A primary forward looking example of such a network is a Fifth Generation (5G) network. The present application relates to inventive improvements and additions to, among other works, 3GPP Specification #23.501, “System Architecture for the 5G System”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
It has been proposed that 5G networks be built with various network technologies that allow for the network to be reconfigured to suit various different needs. These technologies can also allow the network to support network slicing to create different sub-networks with characteristics suited for the needs of the traffic they are designed to support. The network may include a number of computing hardware resources that provide processors and/or allocated processing elements, memory, and storage to support functions executing on the network, as well as a variety of different network connectivity options connecting the computing resources to each other, and making it possible to provide service to mobile devices.
A service generally corresponds to a source, or a sink, for specified data communications that is available on the network. Accessing a service may involve communication between multiple endpoints that are connected to the network. A service may be provided by the network operator, or may be provided by network customer such as a business, utility, government, or other organization. Examples of services include, but are not limited to, providing audio and/or video content to stream or download to an endpoint such as a UE, storage and/or processing of data from an endpoint such as a UE, UE-to-UE messaging services, machine-to-machine communications such as utility meter reporting, remote data storage, and/or remote computing services.
A network slice generally corresponds to a set of network resources which have been allocated to support at least one specific service on the network. Such network resources may include cloud-based communication, computing and memory resources, physical connection and communication resources, wireless radio access resources such as frequency, time and code multi-access resources, telecommunication resources, memory resources and computing resources.
A UE seeking access to a service, may seek to connect directly to that service, or in some embodiments to a network slice that supports the service. The process of connecting a UE to a service and/or network slice starts with the step of registering the UE. Registration may be initiated through a radio access node (R)AN that is currently providing connection between the UE and the network.
A network entity generally refers to a network node, or a combination of network nodes, that is operative to provide specified services on the network. A network entity comprises physical components, such as processors, allocated processing elements, or other computing hardware, computer memory, communication interfaces, and other supporting computing hardware. The network entity may use dedicated physical components, or the network entity may be allocated use of the physical components of another device, such as a generic computing device or resources of a datacenter, in which case the network entity is said to be virtualized. A network entity may be associated with multiple physical components that may be located either in one location, or may be distributed across multiple locations.
A network function comprises a service that may be provided by a network entity, or may comprise physical components configured in a certain way to provide a given functionality, which may be described in terms of data inputs and outputs. In general, a network entity may be operative to support one or more network functions on the network. In some embodiments, the network entity may be abstracted across multiple physical locations of the network, for instance by execution at a plurality of network nodes, to operate in a coordinated fashion by collecting, processing, directing, and/or acting to provide the service(s) required of that network entity.
In proposed 5G networks, it is intended that the operator will be capable of deploying multiple network slices to support different services. Accordingly, the network operator can decide whether a single slice or multiple network slices are required. For example, an operator may support service types A and B within a single slice, or it may provide service type A in slice 1 and service type B in slice 2.
In order for a UE to gain access to a service operated by the network, it must register. To maintain flexibility for the network operator, it may be desirable to provide a registration procedure that is able to support a plurality of different deployment options to accommodate the different slice and service offerings.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for registering a UE to a network service or network slice that is not subject to one or more limitations of the prior art.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present application. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present application.